Latest news with #101stAirborne
Associated Press
19-05-2025
- General
- Associated Press
For 1 sentinel, a final walk at Arlington's Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — For the last two years, Army Sgt. 1st Class Andrew Jay has been dutifully guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery. Rain or shine, snow or sleet, for 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, Jay and the other guards on watch duty serve as both protectors and commemorators of a national tribute to America's unidentified and missing service members. With Jay's final walk scheduled for June 2, this Memorial Day will hold special significance for him as the cemetery prepares for a string of events honoring those who paid the ultimate price for their country. 'It's meant a lot,' Jay, 38, told The Associated Press. 'I'm going to try to make sure it doesn't define me, but it was definitely a defining moment in my career.' Jay, who is from Indianapolis, volunteered for the position after serving in the Tennessee-based 101st Airborne Division, which specializes in air assault operations and is known for its record in World War II. He trained for almost 18 months for the guard duty. 'The training is unlike anything I've ever done in my career so far,' he said. 'It's more than the physical aspect of any other Army school you might think of.' The guards, also known as sentinels for their watchful duty, train even on their off-days, walking on the mat for two hours straight to build up muscular endurance. But that isn't the only endurance required of the sentinels. 'It's a lot of mental ability,' Jay said. 'You have to be locked in for a nine-minute guard change, but then also your 30-minute walk. So, what you're thinking about kind of varies between soldier to soldier.' The sentinels spend half an hour walking the mat in the colder months and an hour during warmer months. They perform a dramatic changing of the guard at the grave site that visitors to the Washington area flock to see, marching 21 steps down the mat, turning and facing east for 21 seconds, then north for 21 seconds and then back down the mat for 21 more, repeating the process. The number refers to the high military honor of the 21-gun salute, which can be heard booming throughout the cemetery and surrounding areas during military funerals on the grounds. There are currently three unidentified U.S. service members buried in the tomb: one from World War I, one from World War II and one from the Korean War. With Memorial Day approaching, the cemetery — which is run by the U.S. Army and has 3 to 4 million visitors annually — will hold a number of events to honor fallen service members. Just before Memorial Day weekend, the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment places American flags at the grave sites of more than 260,000 service members buried at the cemetery — an event known as 'Flags In.' On the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, the public is invited to leave flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier for Flowers of Remembrance Day. 'Memorial Day still retains the purpose that it had back in 1868 during that first official observance here in Arlington,' said Allison Finkelstein, the senior historian of Arlington National Cemetery. 'It is the day to remember and honor our war dead.' There have been 733 tomb guards since 1958. On average, seven to nine tomb guards work every day. 'The honor of guarding them isn't just about the Three Unknowns, it's about everybody that lays here in the cemetery and what they gave in the pursuit of freedom,' Jay said. ___
The Independent
19-05-2025
- General
- The Independent
For 1 sentinel, a final walk at Arlington's Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
For the last two years, Army Sgt. 1st Class Andrew Jay has been dutifully guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery. Rain or shine, snow or sleet, for 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, Jay and the other guards on watch duty serve as both protectors and commemorators of a national tribute to America's unidentified and missing service members. With Jay's final walk scheduled for June 2, this Memorial Day will hold special significance for him as the cemetery prepares for a string of events honoring those who paid the ultimate price for their country. 'It's meant a lot,' Jay, 38, told The Associated Press. "I'm going to try to make sure it doesn't define me, but it was definitely a defining moment in my career.' Jay, who is from Indianapolis, volunteered for the position after serving in the Tennessee-based 101st Airborne Division, which specializes in air assault operations and is known for its record in World War II. He trained for almost 18 months for the guard duty. 'The training is unlike anything I've ever done in my career so far," he said. 'It's more than the physical aspect of any other Army school you might think of." The guards, also known as sentinels for their watchful duty, train even on their off-days, walking on the mat for two hours straight to build up muscular endurance. But that isn't the only endurance required of the sentinels. 'It's a lot of mental ability," Jay said. 'You have to be locked in for a nine-minute guard change, but then also your 30-minute walk. So, what you're thinking about kind of varies between soldier to soldier.' The sentinels spend half an hour walking the mat in the colder months and an hour during warmer months. They perform a dramatic changing of the guard at the grave site that visitors to the Washington area flock to see, marching 21 steps down the mat, turning and facing east for 21 seconds, then north for 21 seconds and then back down the mat for 21 more, repeating the process. The number refers to the high military honor of the 21-gun salute, which can be heard booming throughout the cemetery and surrounding areas during military funerals on the grounds. There are currently three unidentified U.S. service members buried in the tomb: one from World War I, one from World War II and one from the Korean War. With Memorial Day approaching, the cemetery — which is run by the U.S. Army and has 3 to 4 million visitors annually — will hold a number of events to honor fallen service members. Just before Memorial Day weekend, the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment places American flags at the grave sites of more than 260,000 service members buried at the cemetery — an event known as 'Flags In.' On the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, the public is invited to leave flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier for Flowers of Remembrance Day. 'Memorial Day still retains the purpose that it had back in 1868 during that first official observance here in Arlington," said Allison Finkelstein, the senior historian of Arlington National Cemetery. 'It is the day to remember and honor our war dead.' There have been 733 tomb guards since 1958. On average, seven to nine tomb guards work every day. 'The honor of guarding them isn't just about the Three Unknowns, it's about everybody that lays here in the cemetery and what they gave in the pursuit of freedom,' Jay said. ___
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
‘Just people doing a job we were given': 100-year-old WWII vet awarded Bronze Star
A World War II vet receiving an honor, eight decades in the making. Private First Class Andrew Bostinto is 100 years old today, but when he was in his twenties, he served with the storied 'one-hundred-and-first' in Europe. On Sunday, at the Boston Wounded Veteran Run, he was awarded the Bronze Star for his bravery in combat in 1945. 'I speak this for everybody who's listening here, we're not heroes,' Bostinto said while receiving his award, 'we're just people doing a job we were given.' Joining him were active members of the military, fellow veterans, and an army of motorcyclists, all paying their respects. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, around one percent of the 16-point-four million Americans who served in the Second World War are still alive today. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Yahoo
101st Airborne tapped as first unit to get new Black Hawk replacement
The 101st Airborne Division will be the first unit to get the Army's new tiltrotor aircraft. This week the Army announced that the 101st will get to use Bell's V-280 Valor, a next-generation replacement for the aging H-60 Black Hawk helicopter. The 101st Combat Aviation Brigade, the division's attached aviation unit, will receive the aircraft, which recently was given its official mission-design series designator of the MV-75. The choice of the 101st 'was based on their mission profile and theater demands,' Gen. James Mingus, the Army's vice chief of staff, said during his remarks at the Army Aviation Association of America conference this week. 'This decision makes sense, the 101st is a formation built to deploy rapidly and operate in austere conditions,' he continued. Bell's V-280 Valor, was selected in 2022 as the winner of the Army's Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft competition. The vertical take off and landing craft has two engines and is designed for both assault and transport purposes. According to the manufacturer, the aircraft is capable of a top speed of 280 knots (which led to its name) and has a range of 800 nautical miles, both greater than Black Hawk. Beyond speed, the aircraft can also carry a greater number of soldiers and cargo than the Black Hawk. Mingus said that the initial testing by the 101st Airborne Division will be used to shape MV-75 tactics and doctrine, per Janes. The Army operates roughly 2,000 Black Hawk helicopters, which have been in use since the 1970s. The Army previously said it expects to field the MV-75 by 2030. According to TWZ, the MV-75 designation is an homage to the year 1775, the birth year of the U.S. Army. The Army is currently carrying out several events and projects commemorating its 250th birthday. Earlier this month U.S. Special Operations Command said that the V-280 was changed in development to allow it to carry more weight, with the intention of making it more easily convertible for use by special operations units. The Army's 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment currently uses MH-60M variants of Black Hawks, which require extensive modifications to be mission ready. The assignment comes as the Army is also aiming to shift how it uses its helicopter units. In late April, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth released a memo directing a major transformation of the overall U.S. Army. That included restructuring of commands, a greater focus on integrating tactics around drones, and a reshaping of helicopter units. Hegseth's memo directed the Secretary of the Army to 'reduce and restructure manned attack helicopter formations,' as well as design them to work in coordination with drone swarms. It's unclear how testing on the MV-75 will play into that goal. Army infantry officer calls new XM7 'unfit for use as a modern service rifle' Attempted Fort Leavenworth prison break leaves military inmate tangled on fence When Americans, Germans and POWs fought the SS from the walls of a castle This Army combat medic fought off an active shooter and rendered first aid This 53 aircraft 'elephant walk' has everything you'd need for a war in the Pacific
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Yahoo
Walks on former paratroopers airbase to mark D-Day
Guided walks are being offered at a former World War Two airfield to mark the anniversary of the D-Day landings. RAF North Witham in Lincolnshire was home to US paratroopers who were some of the first to land in France ahead of the main invasion on 6 June 1944. It is now the Forestry England-owned Twyford Wood near Colsterworth. The walks are part of South Kesteven District Council's Soldiers from the Sky project, which tells the stories of thousands of Allied airborne troops who trained and flew on mission from Lincolnshire. Visitors will be taken around the still intact runways where soldiers from the US Army's 101st and 82nd Airborne Divisions departed on the night of 5 June to be dropped behind German lines. They crossed the English Channel at a height of 50ft (15m) to avoid enemy radar on their way to Normandy. Their mission was to set up radio beacons and visual markers to guide the main invasion force. The walks are free but need to be booked in advance online. They will be held on 5 June, 12 June and 19 June starting at 17:30 BST and lasting about two and a half hours. Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here. Paratroopers project gets £150,000 lottery funding Lincoln freedom parade marks D-Day anniversary Swastikas sprayed on D-Day bench South Kesteven District Council - Tickets
